The Ice-Cold General Learned Regret in the Language of Roses Novel

Chapter 12 The terror and that dull , strangling ache hit him late and hard , crashing over him with a force that felt worse than taking a bullet . He didn't even have time to figure out where the pain was coming from before he spun around and bolted out of the Jones estate , jumped into the car - and realized he had no idea where to even start looking for her . He called in every favor he had , trying to pull the editions that were already on the streets and smother the story before it spun completely out of control .

But Richard Jones was clearly determined to sever every last tie between Ethan and Scarlett , leaning on every contact he had in the business world until the divorce story was everywhere hin half a day , everyone in Southport knew . For the first time in his life , Ethan understood that there were some things even he couldn't control . " General ... " his aide said quietly . " Ms. West has been asking for you , sir . She seems really shaken up . " Ethan pressed his fingers against his pounding temples as a bone - deep exhaustion washed through him .

With a mess of emotions he couldn't untangle , he went to the hospital . In the room , Nora still looked pale , but the moment she saw him her eyes lit up , and she all but fell out of bed into his arms , sobbing with relief . " Ethan ! The paper said you're divorced , and you got the medication ... Does that mean we can finally be together , that no one can keep us apart anymore ? " She was soft and warm in his arms , smelling of disinfectant and a faint powdery perfume , but his whole body went stiff . The release and joy he'd always imagined never came .

Instead , the second Nora wrapped her arms around him , his mind betrayed him with flashes of Scarlett's brilliant smile and the image of her walking away without looking back . He even felt an instinctive urge to push Nora away . His hand lifted , but in the end it just fell uselessly back to his side . " You should focus on getting better , " he said , his voice dry and edged with a distance he didn't even hear himself . He started treating Nora with the medication , and under his careful watch , she slowly improved day by day .

She would cling to his hand , a hopeful smile softening her pale face as she chattered about the future . " Ethan , once I'm better , let's leave Southport , okay ? Let's find somewhere quiet , just the two of us ... " He listened , but his gaze kept drifting toward the window . Chapter 12 40.00 % Where was Scarlett now ? She was alone in a foreign country , with no one she knew and a language she barely spoke . With that temper like a lit fuse , was she already in trouble again ? Did she have anyone there to clean up her messes ? Was she ... crying ? " Ethan ?

" Nora's anxious voice cut through his thoughts . " What are you thinking about ? Is it ... just that things are busy with the unit ? " He pulled himself back and met her searching , fragile eyes . A flicker of irritation pricked at him , but all he said , lightly dismissive , was , " Yeah . There's a lot of work to deal with . Get some rest and try not to worry . " He left the hospital in a rush and drove back to the little house that had once been full of laughter and now felt as cold and silent as a grave . The moment he opened the door , the dead quiet slammed into him .

There was no sound of her bare feet padding across the floor in a sleep shirt , no lazy sprawl of her on the couch with a fashion magazine , no saccharine , wheedling voice when she pissed him off on purpose and then came over to sweet - talk him . The emptiness in the air was suffocating . He walked past the living room couch , the place where she'd once teased him on purpose , only for him to flip the script and keep her under him until late into the night - the spot on the carpet that still seemed to hum with the echo of their heat .

He passed through the dining room and almost saw her wrinkling her nose as she snuck the vegetables he'd put on her plate back onto his , only to pout and choke them down when he caught her . He finally dropped onto the couch , and it felt like he could still catch the faintest trace of her on the air - that fierce , sharp rose scent that belonged only to her . It used to feel like too much , too overpowering . Now it was the only proof she'd ever been here at all . He didn't sleep at all that night .

In the days that followed , that constant , brutal contrast between what he had and what he'd lost nearly swallowed him whole . Once Nora was strong enough , she put away her usual soft , simple clothes and came to see him in a bright , Scarlett - style dress , even putting on light makeup to make herself look more vivid , more alive . When Ethan opened the door and saw her , he froze . That jarring flash of red hit his memory like open flame . His brows pulled together on reflex , and the words were out before he could stop them . " This isn't you .

You should go back to what you usually wear , " The second the words left his mouth , both of them went still . 40.00 % Nora's eyes filled instantly , disbelief and humiliation twisting her face . Ethan realized how harsh he'd sounded . His lips parted , ready to explain , but his throat locked up and nothing came out . Was he supposed to tell her that Scarlett was one of a kind , and no one could ever take her place ? The air between them went so tense it was hard to breathe .

Another time , he took Nora out to eat and somehow ended up ordering a table full of heavy , spicy dishes- everything Scarlett used to love . Nora couldn't handle spice at all . One bite had her coughing and gasping , eyes watering as she looked at him , wounded and bewildered . Only then did Ethan snap out of it . He rushed to apologize and asked the server to in milder dishes . But when the new plates arrived , full of food he barely recognized , nothing tasted like anything .

All he could see in his head was Scarlett , sucking in sharp breaths as the heat hit her , tongue out , gulping down ice water between bites - and still her fork kept drifting back to the extra - spicy fried chicken like she couldn't help herself . The worst he ever lost control was at a mixer dance on base . 40.00 % admin